Price of Nakama
by ThetrueAmeliaP
Summary: Everyone knows how much of a disaster it would be if Nami didn't have her coffee...Well, actually they don't know the half of it. How can one seemingly innocent trip get them into so much trouble? Rated T for mild gore, violence and swearing
1. Coffee and Crotchety Old Men

One Piece: The Price of Nakama

3rd P.O.V.

The tides were calm and the mood seemingly pleasant. However as Sanji ran out of the kitchen with a less than placid look on his face, the crew knew something was amiss. Sanji had just run out of Nami's favorite coffee blend. With coffee levels low; Sanji and Nami put in a "request" to make a shopping trip on the next island to "buy" supplies. For fear of Nami's wrath, the crew enthusiastically agreed.

By random chance, it just so happens that the next island on the Grand Line is a coffee exporting island, Paiku's Archipelago; aptly named after Cornelius Paiku, founder of Paiku Coffee Co.

By overtly pronouncing themselves pirates, the island already knew about their attempted plans to steal some of their precious cargo. So, instead of giving another reason for the Marines to chase them, they purchase coffee and other supplies.

Apparently, that plan works much better than stealing. According to the citizens of Paiku's Archipelago, the coffee industry had taken a huge nose-dive after the government had instilled steep tariffs between islands—so any business deserved a party for their customers.

Men and women from across the island showed up at the party, dress ranged from the upper class tux to chieftain tribal wear. Either way, the Straw Hat crew did not stick out from the crowd in their normal wear.

The crew met quite a few people during the party. Most memorably, Luffy requested a man by the name of Ralis to join their crew, because he had the face of a dragon—Now, it wasn't literally the face of a dragon, but Luffy was quite shitfaced at this point, so the crew promptly ignored his request.

Besides, Ralis explained he could not abandon his family for the sake of adventure. At that point in time, his wife, Kalin, and their infant son joined his side. Nami seemed a little disheartened at the arrival of the two, she seemingly had a crush on the oblivious fellow.

Ralis remained in the company of the pirates until a shaman by the name of Tanuk entered the conversation. Ralis then lost all sense of humor and took his wife by the elbow, claiming he had "other places to be."

Frowning at the mood shift Luffy, still plastered, leapt into his second's arms, unaware of the embarrassing situation he was commencing, and yelled out, "Common' man! We were having such a good time too~" He quickly passed out still in Zoro's arms.

"…I swear I will kill you…" Zoro with a bright red face, glared at the others jeering at them, before stalking away to put his captain to bed.

The rest of the crew remained with the shaman, who immediately had them engrossed in stories. The frail looking old man told them of his times of youth, how he too was a pirate nearly forty years ago. Chopper took to the man instantaneously, relating unlicensed doctor to unlicensed doctor.

"What is it like being a shaman in a port city, such as this?" The man seemed to bristle at Robin's innocent question, but replied calmly.

"It has been a long time since anyone has recognized me as a doctor, Ms. Robin. You must excuse my language, but the bastards rarely regard me with anything beyond contempt nowadays." The man's soft tones turned sharp, and Robin's inquisitiveness was turning into suspicion.

Chopper hugs Tanuk's leg in attempted comfort, the old man looks down with a brief flash of disgust before quickly masking it under a pleasant smile.

"Thank you, Chopper. You are very kind." Robin, Sanji and Nami notices the nasty look, but do not comment, but their opinion of the man begin to match that of Ralis'.

Before long, the mayor of the city, Akka, introduced himself as the father of Kalin, and thanked the Straw Hat crew for helping out their economy. Akka briefly flashed a contemptuous look across at Tanuk who shrugged before bidding the crew a good night.

"Tanuk is a very…interesting character." Nami spoke evenly, her tone wanted answers.

"You must forgive our behavior. Tanuk is a complicated man, he does not mean harm, but his actions are far from appropriate in such a modern city." Akka was dressed to the nines, wearing a black pin-stripe suit with a silver gray shirt and black tie—he was the epitome of business mogul. Though his character spoke more as humble father. He eventually began to tell of his son-in-law's adventures as a sailor—needless to say, the crew was impressed.

Eventually it was around two in the morning, and Chopper was falling into the seduction of sleep. Nami and Robin help the small reindeer back to the ship. Franky, Brook, and Sanji continue on the conversation with the mayor.

The party began to die down to a dull murmur, taking on the air of a cocktail party. And finally, the last of the crew returns to the ship.

A mortified screech permeates the night air: it was Kalin.


	2. The Crocodile and the Monkey

Zoro finally managed to manhandle his captain into bed and had started heading back to the party. On his way was a temple, surprisingly he saw Kalin sitting down underneath the gate entrance with her son on her lap, speaking softly an old story.

"Once there lived a monkey in a jamun tree by a river. The monkey was alone - he had no friends, no family, but he was happy and content. The jamun tree gave him plenty of sweet fruit to eat, and shade from the sun and shelter from the rain.

One day a crocodile came swimming up the river and climbed on to the bank to rest under the monkey's tree. 'Hello', called the monkey, who was a friendly animal. 'Hello', replied the crocodile, surprised. 'Do you know where I can get some food?' he asked. 'I haven't had anything to eat all day - there just don't seem to be any fish left in the river.'

'Well,' said the monkey, 'I don't eat fish so I wouldn't know - but I do have plenty of ripe purple jamuns in my tree. Would you like to try some?' He threw some down to the crocodile. The crocodile was so hungry that he ate up all the jamuns even though crocodiles don't eat fruit. He loved the sweet tangy fruit and shyly asked whether he could have some more. 'Of course', replied the monkey generously, throwing down more fruit. 'Come back whenever you feel like more fruit', he added when the crocodile had eaten his fill.

After that, the crocodile would visit the monkey every day. The two animals soon became friends - they would talk and tell each other stories, and eat as much of the sweet jamuns as they wanted. The monkey would throw down all the fruit the crocodile wanted from his tree. One day the crocodile began talking about his wife and family. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier that you had a wife?' asked the monkey. 'Please take some of the jamuns for her as well when you go back today.' The crocodile thanked him and took some of the fruit for his wife.

The crocodile's wife loved the jamuns. She had never eaten anything so sweet before. 'Imagine', she said, 'how sweet would be the creature who eats these jamuns every day. The monkey has eaten these every day of his life - his flesh would be even sweeter than the fruit.' She asked her husband to invite the monkey for a meal - 'and then we can eat him up' she said happily…"

The baby cooed and giggled as she finished her story, soon falling asleep. She stood to return home to Ralis. Then she spotted Zoro standing and beckoned him to come over and he obliged.

"What brings you here, Zoro? And how is the young captain?" Zoro grinned, mainly to fight back a grimace.

"To your first question, I'm heading back to the party. To your second, he is as well as to be expected after one drinks 'till they black out." She giggled, her mouth covered by her sleeve.

"Shall I walk you home then, Ms. Kalin?"

"Oh don't trouble yourself, my home and the festivities are in opposite directions." She waved him off, shrugging he turned to leave.

He reached the party, but the mood had since shifted since he was last there. Akka, Sanji, Franky, and Brook talked quietly amongst themselves. Chopper was quickly losing out to sleep in Robin's arms, she and Nami decided to head back to the ship for the night. Still there was still rice wine left in pitchers so he slouched languidly in a chair listening to the conversations. His eyes closed as he tried focusing on different coversations

"…women are disappearing, Jimal…I don't want to head home alone…" one eye opened and he looked for the speaker of that sentence. A seemingly normal looking woman, conservatively dressed in traditional robes and a bundled baby cradled in her arms. Her eyes though were nervous, gray orbs jumped from one set of bushes to another, ready for something to strike; it set his teeth on edge.

"Shakana, darling, then stay, the festivities will be over in due time." The baby moaned from beneath the blankets and its mother tried to soothe the child. "Attuk is not feeling well, I really must take him home." Zoro stood up, "I'll walk you home" He was bored of the party, and he needed to find out more about the women's disappearances. Shakana smiled demurely, her husband looked like he just sucked a lemon. "Very well, thank you kind swordsman."

At that moment, Zoro recognized the shriek of Kalin.

Akka, Sanji, Franky, and Brook snapped their heads up from the secretive sounding conversation.

"Kalin! Not my daughter!" Akka ran from the party, the rest of the straw-hat crew followed suit.

They reached a clearing just offset from a marsh, there laid Kalin spread on the floor, her eyes stared straight ahead, and her chest unmoving. Her neck had been broken and torn apart. The chief slowly fell to his knees, besides her, trembling fingers reached for her lips, no puffing of air met his fingers. He crumpled upon her and cried. His only daughter was dead.

Zoro remembered something, "where's the boy?" Akka's face went a paler shade of gray, "no—no, no, no, no, no, NO! Not my grandson too! Please don't let this be true!" Brooke and Sanji were looking positively livid. Such a heinous crime was committed right underneath their noses, and they were partying? They have never felt more disgusted with themselves.

A faint cry from the bog caught Zoro's attention, a baby! He alerted the others and Brooke took off before anyone could say otherwise. In mere minutes, Brooke was back and had procured the bundle.

"JIRO!" Akka held the boy and they both sobbed, one in relief and the other in discomfort. Franky noticed a piece of torn red fabric was attached to the baby's bundle of cloth.

The crewmates' eyes widen at the implication of what this might mean, but refuse to accept it. There was no possible way their captain could commit such a crime, drunk or sober. Nevertheless, the color was a complete match, no one else at the party wore red, and the dye was not found naturally on this island so it never became popular.

Zoro quickly snatches the swatch and hides it away in his yukata. They will investigate, but only to prove their captains innocence.

"This bastard will pay!" Just then, Ralis ran into the clearing, eyes wide with fright and sorrow.

The dragon was mad.


End file.
